1. Field
Embodiments relate to the field of dissipating heat generated by an electronic component mounted on a printed board assembly.
2. Background
Electronic devices, such as servers, personal computers, portable computers, and electronic equipment, typically include a chassis (e.g., device housing) containing one more printed board assemblies. In general, integrated circuits mounted on printed board assemblies continue to consume more power with increasing capabilities, resulting in increasing amount of heat generated from these components.
As requirements of electronic components continue to increase, in some instances, heat sinks alone are not capable of achieving the desired heat dissipation. Accordingly, in conventional systems, thermal management is often accomplished with a heat sink in combination with a cooling fan either mounted directly over the heat sink or off to the side. However, there are a number of disadvantages associated with a heat sink and fan combination that are often bulky and relatively tall. First, relatively tall heat sink and fan combinations drive the overall system height which is inconsistent with desires for lower profile systems. Additionally, certain amounts of area on the board are forfeited in order to accommodate retention mechanisms used to secure the heat sink and fan combinations on circuit boards. Moreover, the heat sink and fan combinations mounted on printed circuit boards can be relatively heavy. The weight of the heat sink and fan will cause stress when shock or vibration is applied to the circuit board, potentially causing damage to the solder connections.
Furthermore, as the number of components on a printed board assembly that require thermal management continues to increase, multiple heat sink and fan combinations may be required to effectively dissipate heat from the circuit board. In such cases, these thermal solutions can block airflow from the system fan, preventing it from reaching components that are farther away. Because of practical limitations on physical size of the chassis and the circuit boards, limited number of heat sink and fan combinations can be utilized within the same device housing to dissipate heat from the high temperature components.